Fantasy Aficionados discussion

Hey..!

So as we're all fans of fantasy, I'm wondering how many of you also like to play video games that are set in a fantasyland?

My games of choices are MMOs to play on the PC, but the time to put into those just isn't what it used to be for me.

So many games based on books do not turn out as well as people would have liked. There's an upcoming MMO for A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones / A Clash of Kings / A Storm of Swords / A Feast for Crows and I'm anxious to see how that looks!

So! Any other gamers here that fill their time with gaming scenery when not reading?

I'm an old-timer when it comes to role-playing games. I started back in 1974, shortly after 'Dungeons And Dragons' came out. There's nothing like sitting around a table of boon companions and having the game master weave his (or her) tales of the mystical realms we were exploring.
I never got into computer RPGs. For all the fancy pixels, it just doesn't feel real enough to me.

I like to play RPGs on the Xbox 360. My favorites are Dragon Age and Fable. I also really like Mass Effect, it's SciFi rather than fantasy. And I'm a Zelda fan from way back, but you can't get that on the Xbox so far as I know.

I play games on my PS3. Like Kyra, I really like Dragon Age (Inquisition looks like it'll be fantastic). XCOM: Enemy Unknown was also great fun.

I am all about the funny shaped dice, video games are fun but always a bit to limiting for my tastes.

ive always been a fan of the elder scrolls games such as morrowind and oblivion and skyrim, but i never noticed before until now that most of my games seem to be role playing games with set in 'fantasyland'

I really like Skyrim,but I play Kingdoms of Amular:Reckoning as a first choice.

As far as fantasy video games go, I've played all the Dragon Age games & Torchlight II. Love me some fantasy games!

Jenny wrote: "As far as fantasy video games go, I've played all the Dragon Age games & Torchlight II. Love me some fantasy games!"

I love T2! One of my faves.

Yes, computer games with a fantasy settings are cool and RPGs are good too. Perhaps live RPG myself, but you never know where the story will go and I like the odd twist now and again.

Im a very big Final Fantasy addict. I played Zelda as a kid, as well as Legend of Dragoon, Legend of Legaia & Kingdom Hearts

Even though the graphics on the newer games are 100x better, I still prefer the old school PsOne games

So if I'm new to Final Fantasy, Lauren, where do I start?

You can always start almost anywhere with the Final Fantasy games, very few of them are directly or even indirectly connected. Those that are are easily identified as such. If however you are looking to start with one of the standouts of the series VIi or X are both regarded as the best by large sections of the fan base, though I was always partial to Tactics myself, and 9 had some wonderful moments.

I loved FFX so much! :) I can't find any games on the PC to hold my attention too much these days, although a few friends recommended Diablo 3. We'll see.

Anyone who digs old-school video games should check this guy out. My guess is he's single.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIYR7m...

I've heard both really good and really bad things about Diablo 3, largely depending on who i was talking to. I would probably have given it a look if i still played video games.

VI is highly regarded, but one of the few I haven't played.

Although I didn't manage to finish it (levels were so low it became difficult to the point of woe) the storyline of IV was very entertaining. I also really liked VII.

And if you're going for old school RPGs I can recommend Phantasy Star IV. Originally out for the Mega Drive (Genesis), it's got a great story, cool combat and is probably the best RPG I've ever played. You can buy it for PS2 or PS3 as part of a Sega collection (there are about 20 other games, but PSIV is worth the price by itself).

My next two MMOs of choice, Wildstar and EverQuest Next. I have been avoiding MMOs like the plague as I'm a recovering WOW addict.

Terry wrote: "My next two MMOs of choice, Wildstar and EverQuest Next. I have been avoiding MMOs like the plague as I'm a recovering WOW addict."

lol

I refused to ever start.


I played Diablo 3 (thinking about a 2nd round) and Torchlight 2. I bought a bunch of stuff but haven't played as yet.

Hopefully in a couple of weeks I'll be playing
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen - Xbox 360.It's a RPG and looks fun.

Did you play Dragon's Dogma?

The combat is bloody fantastic.

Thaddeus wrote: "Did you play Dragon's Dogma?

The combat is bloody fantastic."

I haven't played Dragon's Dogma.But I read several real good reviews of Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen and some of them said you don't need to have played the original to understand it and have fun.Someone even said it was parts 1 and 2 combined.

I love Fable SOOOO MUCH!! I also like The Elder Scrolls:Skyrim, but I suck at that one LOL

Yeah, it's the full original game with a big expansion. I haven't played it, but have played Dragon's Dogma. Getting that, lots of DLC and an expansion for £15-20 or so is an absolute bargain.

The game's not perfect (you will learn to hate the word 'aught'), but the character creator, pawn system and, most of all, combat are excellent.

I am so excited about this game,Dragon's Dogma:Dark Arisen.And you make it sound really enjoyable.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christopher wrote: "I've heard both really good and really bad things about Diablo 3, largely depending on who i was talking to. I would probably have given it a look if i still played video games."

Diablo 3 is a very streamlined game, a simplified version of Diablo 2. It's great for the casual gamer (it really is), but the way the streamlining is done pisses off a certain type of core gamer. And that type of core game happens to be the type of gamer that made Diablo 2 such a success.
So you have a game that in an attempt to appeal to everyone (in wich it succeeded more or less), failed to appeal to its core audience. And it has suffered for it. Word of mouth among hardcore gamers is a powerful force. They have an opportunity to make ammends with the expansion (and they're trying so very hard to do that), but it might be already too late. Lots of people I know have moved on to Torchlight and Path of Exile. (I used to be a harcore Diablo 2 gamer. Don't worry, I made a full recovery.)

You never really recover, I still dream of the days the only thing in the world with more demons and undead under their command then Diablo was me.

Hope I'm not overselling Dark Arisen...

Kevin, not a Diabolical chap myself but that sounds vaguely similar to what happened with Mass Effect from the first game to the third.

Kevin wrote: "Diablo 3 is a very streamlined game, a simplified version of Diablo 2. It's great for the casual gamer (it really is), but the way the streamlining is done pisses off a certain type of core gamer. And that type of core game happens to be the type of gamer that made Diablo 2 such a success. So you have a game that in an attempt to appeal to everyone (in wich it succeeded more or less), failed to appeal to its core audience. And it has suffered for it. Word of mouth among hardcore gamers is a powerful force. They have an opportunity to make ammends with the expansion (and they're trying so very hard to do that), but it might be already too late. Lots of people I know have moved on to Torchlight and Path of Exile. (I used to be a harcore Diablo 2 gamer. Don't worry, I made a full recovery.) "


I have to admit that I wasn't too impressed with 3 vs 2 (or 1 which was my fav). I played D1 & D2 over and over again but D3 I haven't. I really hate the "always on" requirement since I only play single player. I wonder if that has changed with the removal of the RMH?

Thaddeus wrote: "Hope I'm not overselling Dark Arisen...

Kevin, not a Diabolical chap myself but that sounds vaguely similar to what happened with Mass Effect from the first game to the third."

Mass Effect. *sigh*. I liked the first one a lot, but it had some rough edges (the exploration parts, the inventory, the tiered weapon/item system, ...).

With Mass Effect 2 they sanded off all those edges, making for one sleek action/RPG hybrid which is still one of my favourite games ever. They did get a bit overly enthousiastic with the sandpaper though. Instead of having a game with a clunky inventory filled with clutter items from a boring and unimmersive item system they stripped everything out, only leaving 2 weapons of every type (2 pistols, 2 assault rifles,...) which removed the need for having an inventory at all. From one extreme to the other. They also simplified the skill and level up system reducing the ability to pick which skills you want to enhance during level up. So yea, less customisabilty, less RPG elements. I wasn't so happy about that. But they made up for it with (IMO at least) overall better gameplay.

Now, Mass Effect 3. I still haven't played it. I have bought it. The box still in its plastic wrapper almost 2 years later. My brother did play it. He thought it was okay. He said I'd hate it. They turned it into a pure action game he says. Even added mandatory multiplayer if you want 100% completion. So now I don't dare to play the game, dreading dissapointment.

(Yes, I'm aware this is a very silly situation.)

MrsJoseph (taking back my data & giving GR the middle finger) wrote: " I really hate the "always on" requirement since I only play single player. I wonder if that has changed with the removal of the RMH? "

No, they won't change that. They will keep the always online (battle.net) requirement even after they will remove the auction house in patch 2.0 (coinciding with the release of the expansion next year).

The reason they give for that is that they found that by having offline gameplay and different types of servers ("Open" and "Closed" Battle.net from D2) that it divided the playerbase too much. They apparently want everyone to play in the same environement wether people want to or not. In an interview I read (on rockpapershotgun.com I think) a Blizzard developer literally said that for people who don't want to deal with the always online requirement, Diablo 3 simply isn't the game for them.
At least it's honest :p.

I loathe always online stuff. I'm not a fan of DLC either (yes, I am a luddite). Actually, the only online feature I really ever used was in Dragon's Dogma.

I bought the Mass Effect Trilogy, and agree that it seems unlikely you'll enjoy 3 that much. There's actually an option when starting to opt out of making decisions in conversations. (For the trilogy edition for PS3 I also suffered bad freezes, which led to a restart and scan to determine whether my console had been corrupted, so I won't play it again for that reason. However, this seems to be a rare bug as I haven't read of anyone else suffering it).

I started Dragon's Dogma:Dark Arisen-good game,good effects.

Kevin wrote: "No, they won't change that. They will keep the always online (battle.net) requirement even after they will remove the auction house in patch 2.0 (coinciding with the release of the expansion next year).

The reason they give for that is that they found that by having offline gameplay and different types of servers ("Open" and "Closed" Battle.net from D2) that it divided the playerbase too much. They apparently want everyone to play in the same environement wether people want to or not. In an interview I read (on rockpapershotgun.com I think) a Blizzard developer literally said that for people who don't want to deal with the always online requirement, Diablo 3 simply isn't the game for them.
At least it's honest :p.

True. At least they're honest.

And I'll honestly not buy any more Diablo. I love the game but I want to play if my internet goes out. I have a laptop...so I should be able to play when the power goes out. But I can't cause the damn thing needs the net.

I dealt with it during the BS RMAH excuse. But the gameplay wasn't ideal and the graphics were only ok so no more diablo "always on" for me.

I consider myself a light gamer. I don't typically buy new games, but rather play them once the cost drops. I also don't do MMOs.

Right now, my current addiction is Bioshock (the first). I loved Fable II and the Diablo games.

I also like American McGee's Alice and Alice Madness Returns, but more for the graphics and world building than for the actual game play. I tend to be a hack and slasher so the dexterity-heavy jumping around annoys me.

I am still like to go old school and play table top. It has been several years since I've had enough time to devote to any D&D campaigns. Recently acquired Arkham Horror (FINALLY!) and look forward to pulling others into my dorky little world of game play. Mwuhahaha!

D&D campaign,love the idea but way too old.I hadn't done that in years.

You're never to old for D&D

Christopher wrote: "You're never to old for D&D"

Agreed. :)

Christopher wrote: "You're never to old for D&D"

for certain!

Christopher wrote: "You're never to old for D&D"

So True!

I'm a pretty big gamer myself. I've been gaming since I was a kid, long before I discovered my passion for books.
I enjoy most types of games, though I'm not a fan of Sport games, MMO's or Platform games. But my favorite genre is definitely RPG, especially Fantasy RPG and Sandbox games.

Nyssa wrote: "Christopher wrote: "You're never to old for D&D"

So True!"

I grew up playing the 1st edition,the game had a good pace.Then the 2nd edition,partially,crit. hits and aiming your shots was slowing down the game.

I still have some of my old characters. :) And I'm 50.

Charlton wrote: "Nyssa wrote: "Christopher wrote: "You're never to old for D&D"

So True!"

I grew up playing the 1st edition,the game had a good pace.Then the 2nd edition,partially,crit. hits and aiming your shots..."

I didn't start playing until I was in my late 20s. I learned using 2nd Edition rules (very confused about THACO)! :)

I never found it confusing, though it was really counterintuitive.

Kevin wrote: "Now, Mass Effect 3. I still haven't played it. I have bought it. The box still in its plastic wrapper almost 2 years later. My brother did play it. He thought it was okay. He said I'd hate it. They turned it into a pure action game he says. Even added mandatory multiplayer if you want 100% completion. So now I don't dare to play the game, dreading dissapointment."


Disappointment is the most likely outcome. The game is great until the last mission. I won't go into the problems with the ending; it's well documented elsewhere on the internet. But if you can prepare yourself for a terrible ending, maybe you'll get through unscathed.